


Getting to Know Everyone

by Gothicsouthpaw30



Series: The Human Target Saga [1]
Category: Human Target (TV 2010)
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, Comedy, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Grief, Multi, Original Character(s), Other, Romance, Spies, Tragedy, team work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-28 11:25:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6327100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothicsouthpaw30/pseuds/Gothicsouthpaw30
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Title sucks I know, I'll hopefully have something better in the near future, but basically this my little 'Human Target' Fanfiction...starting off kind of corny but trust me, it's not going to be an everyday "OC romance" thing...at least I hope not.</p><p>Anyways, this is the start up chapter, introducing one of my Main OC's :-)</p><p>Enjoy!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting the Man behind the name...and his Puppy.

She was reaching the end of her shift when he walked in, a small black puppy in one hand, while his other hand hung casually at his side.

“Hello,” She greeted the gentlemen as she approached the computer monitor, “How are we going to help you and your little friend there?”

“Just a bath, booked an appointment yesterday,” The gentlemen replied softly, eyeing the girl in such a way that she became uncomfortable and She decided to keep her own eyes on the monitor.

“What’s the name?” She asked trying to stay friendly, “Oh-eh-your dogs name I mean…please.”

“Guerrero.”

Her hand froze atop the mouse, She slowly brought her eyes back to his, and She swallowed loudly while he arched a single eyebrow; seemingly amused at the sudden wave of terror that coursed through the young woman.

“Um…th-that’s the dogs name, right?” She asked, and he smirked and shook his head.

“Dog is the dogs name,” He explained, “I booked him under you Miss Gillespie, can you not find it?”

 _‘Ohgodnoohgodno!’_ She, Max Gillespie thought as she continued to pretend all was well and fine, _‘I’m fucking dead!”_

Trying to still her trembling hands, Max printed out the service card, and went through the usual process she always did before asking to take the dog from Guerrero.

“Two hours, right?” He asked as She began to back away, “You close at ten?”

Max nodded and turned to go just as Guerrero called after her:

“See ya then!”  
**************************************************************************  
It would count against her, but that didn’t matter very much to her at the moment, Max had to get out of the Grooming Salon and get home before he got back.

“Sorry it’s just My back, y’know, you sure it’s alright?”

Her co-worker nodded, bid her good night, and Max bounded out from her work area with her heart hammering in her chest.

To her relief, he hadn’t arrived, and she was nearly to her car.

 _‘Just get home,’_ She told her self, _‘Get home and get Meggie and~’_

“I wouldn’t get in there, if I were you,” A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts from behind her, “Why don’t you let me give you a ride home, dude?”

Max’s hand gripped her keys for a moment, she looked over her shoulder and observed him, coolly leaned against nice looking black Cadillac.

“What about your dog?” She asked, wondering then if it would do her any good to run, “You should go get him.”

“Aint my dog,” Guerrero confessed as he straightened, “and that’s the last thing you should be worried about. Get in the car.”

He opened the passenger side door of his vehicle and waited.

“B-but…” Max started, “I-uh-that’s just not…I can’t.”

“You can and you will,” Guerrero answered as his eyes narrowed, “Don’t make me come and get you.”

 _‘Jesus,’_ Max thought as she bit back the urge to sob, _‘Please God, please, tell me he hasn’t done anything to Meggie!’_

Certain this was her last night on Earth; Max sighed and followed the order, gently slipping into the vehicle, and nearly screaming when Guerrero took her by the wrist.

“Chill,” He explained calmly, “Given that you’re gonna try and run at any moment I’m just cuffing you to this handle.”

“Where are you taking me?” Max dared to ask; though in her mind she pictured being driven to some dark alleyway.

“My office,” Guerrero answered as he finished his task, “Now shut up and relax, we got a ways to go.”

“But my sis-I-I can’t be gone long!” McKenna protested just as Guerrero slammed the door.

“Your sister is fine,” Guerrero explained, to McKenna’s horror, “She picked up an extra shift at work and won’t be home til six in the morning.”

He started the engine before reaching over again and opening the glove box to pull out a CD case.

“You like classical music?”

Max made a face, one of utter disbelief, and asked: “What? Why?”

“Cause that’s what I’m going to play while I’m driving you to where I’m taking you,” Guerrero explained, “I don’t really care if you have a preference…just being polite.”

A twitch of anger rose up inside Max then; He was playing with her! The sick bastard!

“Play what you want,” She muttered and looked out of the passenger side window as Guerrero put the CD into play and put his car in drive.

“You’ll like it,” Guerrero insisted as they started to drive off, “very soothing!”

 _‘Asshole!’_ Max thought as she remained silent and began to silently recite the lords prayer.


	2. Max, Guerrero, Winston and the interrogation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is taken to the office and interrogated.

“Where are we?” Max asked, forgetting she was cuffed as she tried to get out of the car, “Where am I?”

“Don’t scratch up my Eldo!” Guerrero warned, “We’re at the office.”

“The fuck’s an Eldo?” Max demanded angrily while the man exited the drivers seat and came around to her side, “Why are we in San Francisco?”

Opening the door, un-cuffing one of her hands without a word, the Notorious Gentlemen helped Max out of the car and let her look around curiously.

“The Eldo is my car,” He explained as he kept a deceptively warm hand on McKenna’s shoulder, “and we’re in San Francisco because, as I’ve already said, my office is here.”

“What time is it?” Max demanded as she let Guerrero guide her from behind, “I mean…Meggie-My sister-She’ll worry if~”

“I could care less about your sibling at the moment,” Guerrero sighed, “ But it’s a little past one a.m.”

 _‘It won’t help to argue with the likes of him,’_ Max told her self, _‘Best just to do what your told.’_

She was guided into a very comfortable, punctual looking office and ordered to sit in a chair; She wasn’t surprised when Guerrero cuffed her again, but she was stunned when an older, black gentlemen entered the room with a file in his hand.

“This her?” He asked Guerrero as he opened the file, “She give you any trouble?”

Guerrero nodded and said: “Yep and not yet, Chance here?”

The black gentlemen shook his head: “Errands.”

Guerrero clicked his tongue and then brought his attention back to Max.

“You want some coffee?”

“No,” Max answered as she continued to watch the other man sift through the file, “Let me guess…that a dossier you have on me?”

“You need coffee,” Guerrero argued calmly, “I can tell you’re pretty tired and I need your head clear so I can get what we need from you.”

“Is that a dossier?” Max demanded again, “Looks pretty thin if it is.”

“You’ve been a good kid, well, you were a good kid up until two weeks ago,” The gentlemen explained as he closed the file, “When you had the nerve to hack into our database.”

“I aint a kid,” Max explained with a sigh, “I’m thirty…and it was a stupid thing to do now that I look back at it.”

“Yeah, look at where it got you, I’m gonna put some coffee on. You want some Winston?”

“Nah,” The man, Winston, answered, “I’m heading out in a few. You need anything before I go?”

“Stay with her,” Guerrero explained as he jutted a thumb over his shoulder at Gillespie, “Still aint quite figured her out and I don’t want her left alone.”

Winston looked over at the young woman and offered a smile that she didn’t return.

“It is impressive,” He told her, “Your the first person-besides that guy-to ever hack through so many encryption’s.”

“It took me forever,” Gillespie muttered, “and when I did I saw his name and tried to get out of it and cover my tracks.”

“Didn’t work,” Winston sighed, “But-uh-you just be honest and maybe you’ll walk outta here.”

“Yeah right,” Max scoffed, “I’m handcuffed to a chair, in San Francisco, no body knows where I am, and he’s a damn maniac! I’m as good as dead!”

Winston sighed and again, opened the file and read for a moment, then He asked:

“What brought you from Ireland? You’re a long way from home.”

“I came here when I was four,” Max answered, “I don’t remember much of it…We immigrated after the deaths of my father and brother. My mom and me…then she died after having my sister here in the states.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Winston started, “You got anymore relatives?”

“An Aunt-er-We used to I mean. She was the last of our living relatives.”

“Our? You mean your sister?”

“Who had nothing to do with any of this,” Max spat defiantly, “She’s completely innocent.”

“We’ll see about that,” Guerrero announced as he entered the office, a mug of coffee in each hand.

“Leave her the fuck alone!” Max growled as Guerrero set one of the mugs down on the desk next to her, “I’m not a kid but she is! She’s only nineteen!”

“Okay, Okay,” Guerrero announced with a wave of his hand, “Here, I’m going to uncuff your hand so you can drink that. Don’t do anything else too stupid…do you understand?”

When Max didn’t respond, even when Guerrero freed one of her hands, He leaned close to her face; “Do you understand?”

She gave no response and Guerrero looked over his shoulder at Winston and said:

“Cute how she’s trying to be brave, huh?”

Before Winston could respond Max demanded in a dangerous tone:

“Promise me Meggie won’t get hurt and I’ll do whatever you want me to do!”

“You forgetting whose in charge here…Kid?”

Max, trying Her best to hide her growing fear and panic, narrowed her eyes and said:

“My sister didn’t have anything to do with this, it’s me you want and you got me! So just leave her out of it ok, BUD?”

Guerrero rose to his full height looked Max up and down with a blank face before breaking into a small smile.

“Look Miss Gillespie,” Winston encouraged, “Just cooperate and don’t, and I mean seriously, don’t antagonize Guerrero.”

To her horror Winston bid Guerrero a good evening and took his leave, and Max took a deep breath and met Guerrero’s icy gaze.

“So,” Guerrero asked as He pulled up a chair in front of Gillespie and took a seat, “Since you’re being stupid and trying to act tough I’m assuming you know all about me, right?”

“Yes,” Max sighed, “I know who you are and what you do.”

“And now you’re so scared you think that by acting like a total brat that it will buy you more time, right?”

“I’m not afraid,” Max pressed, “Not for me any how.”

Guerrero stared into Max’s green eyes hard, and she returned his glare without a hint of hesitation.

“What were you thinking?” Guerrero asked as he rose to his feet and headed over to a small counter top, “I mean, sure Dude, it’s pretty cool you were able to get past all the encryption’s but you just had to know the risk it involved right?”

Taking into his hand a tool box, Guerrero came back to where Gillespie sat and eyed her curiously.

“Even if you didn’t know about me or realized I worked for this organization…. You made a very stupid, stupid move.”

“I was looking to see if you had any-eh-information on some people,” Max explained as Guerrero pointed at the mug he’d brought to her.

“But when I saw your name I realized how stupid I’d been and got the hell out of there as fast as I could.”

“Having no idea beforehand that I personally set up the encryption’s to guard our information and that, the instant anyone, attempted to hack our system I’d be alerted?”

“Yep,” Max sighed again, finally taking the mug in her hand when Guerrero shot her an impatient glance, “But I wasn’t trying to like…perform some kind of hostile take over or spy or whatever! I learned about y’all when…”

Gillespie’s voice trailed and Guerrero’s blue eyes seemed to shimmer with amusement.

“When?” He asked, “Go on…you definitely don’t want me to open that tool box.”

Taking a sip, filling with great sorrow, McKenna mumbled:

“From a guy named Sean.”

“Sean?” Guerrero repeated with a scoff, “I know Sean! College kid, right?”

Max nodded; thinking for sure that she’d just signed the poor boy’s death warrant.

“So why not just get in contact with us directly?”

“Do I look like I could afford you?”

Guerrero sniffed and said nothing for a moment before going and opening the toolbox.

“Thing is,” He explained as he allowed Max to watch him retrieve an ice pick from one of the many drawers, “I know Sean and He knows not to run his mouth. How could a stupid kid like you…get anything out of him.”

“Liquor loosens tongues,” Max explained as Guerrero once again took a seat in front of her, “It was easy…Sean knows my sister, I saw him at a bar, and after buying him beer after beer and shot after shot…”

Max shrugged.

To her rising agitation, Guerrero pressed the tip of the instrument against her knee with just enough pressure for her to feel the point push through fabric of her work pants.

“You musta been watchin’ that boy for awhile,” Guerrero remarked as He began to slowly turn the ice pick on Gillespie’s knee, “I’ll admit…it’s impressive.”

“He’s an arrogant horn dog and a show off,” Max quipped, “Especially when liquor is involved.”

“Did He know about your real intentions?” Guerrero asked, and drove the ice pick in just slightly more, watching while Max’s face reddened with anger.

“No!” She snapped, “I just got the info I needed and that was all.”

“I’d lower my voice,” Guerrero warned, “I don’t respond to yelling very well.”

“You’ll forgive me,” Max advised, “But I know what’s going to be done here and I really don’t like the idea of causing anyone else’s death so~”

“Just what info were you looking for? What names?”

At this Max stiffened, her eyes darted about wildly, and she pressed her lips together and remained silent.

“Come on,” Guerrero pressed, “You’ve done well so far, I think you’re telling the truth, all there is to do now is for you to tell me who you were looking for.

It’s either that dude, or I do what you don’t want, and I go back for Sean and, just for kicks, that sister of yours.”

It had never happened.

He’d been in his fair share of fights and had been injured a time or two given his choice of career but Guerrero had never, ever been spit on before.

“You little bitch!” He snapped, dropping the ice pick and wrapping his fingers around Max’s neck, “Bad move!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read 'McKenna' instead of 'Max' it's because I changed my OC's name half way through the fic. Sorry 'bout that.


	3. Death Averted...barely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is questioned by Chance.

“Whoa!” A voice suddenly boomed from behind the two of them, “Let’s chill out! Guerrero let her go!”

“You’re lucky!” Guerrero growled as He released Max, “Very lucky!”

“You should know!” Max yelled, “You should know how I feel about my sister given you got a kid!”

“Oh Shit!” The large, bulky gentlemen shouted as he grabbed Guerrero’s arm just in time, “Guerrero chill out!”

When Guerrero’s body didn’t relax, the man squeezed his arm hard, “Take a break!” He ordered.

“Fine dude,” Guerrero conceded, “But not before she tells me how she knew about my kid!”

“The way you carry yourself,” Max gasped after she was certain Guerrero wasn’t about to try another attack.

“It’s all in your body language!”

“You…you know how to read body language?” The other man inquired, “That takes some skill! I mean…not even you can do that Guerrero!”

Guerrero snorted and replied: “How do we know she’s telling the truth? I mean she could just be making it up!”

“It’s written all over you,” McKenna explained, “There’s someone you love very much in life and considering that I’m relatively certain You’re single I decided it was a child.

“Impressive,” The other gentleman chuckled, “Which is why I’d like a few words with you.”

“What?” Guerrero demanded, “Why Chance?”

“I looked at the dossier Winston compiled,” the man answered, “This girl is a lot more than what she seems…but I’m guessing you wanted it that way right? For people not to take much of an interest in you?”

Max said nothing; she only glanced from Guerrero to the man called Chance and waited.

“Guerrero,” Chance started, unable to stop himself from chuckling. “Go and order yourself some Chinese food will ya? I’ll take it from here.” 

“Funny Dude,” Guerrero scoffed, “Really funny! Next trick she’ll do is tell me my first name!”

“You look like a Paul to me!” Max called after Guerrero, “Most Paul’s I know tend to be major douches!”

Guerrero stopped, turned on his heels, and flipped Max off without saying a word.

When he’d gone, Chance offered Gillespie an encouraging nod that the young woman refused to acknowledge.

“You’re looking for the Men who killed your father and brother, right? That’s why you hacked into our database?” 

“Yep,” McKenna answered softly as she struggled to regain her composure, “They’re bad guys…and being that Sean told me you guys are a group of mercenaries or something…I took a chance. I can’t be the only one whom wants those men dead...or is on the run from them.”

“You’re hacking skills are impressive,” Chance explained, “Almost equal to Guerrero’s-only he wouldn’t have been found out like you-where’d you learn it?”

“Here and there,” McKenna offered, “Sorry but I think I already got one poor kid killed so I’m not handing out anymore names.”

“‘S fine,” Chance replied with a smirk, then looking at the file again he continued:

“Nine? You know nine languages? Doesn’t that make you a poly-uh-what’s the word?”

“Polyglot,” McKenna answered, “I speak Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Gaelic, Russian, Japanese, and American Sign Language.”

“Jesus,” Chance chuckled, “and you’ve had experience in the medical field as a nurses aide? Don’t you feel-no offense-wasted as a dog bather?”

“Not really,” McKenna snorted, “I’m what is commonly known as an under achiever.” 

“That,” Chance offered, “Or, like I’m already assuming, you’re trying to stay low. I’m guessing it’s the latter.”

Max sighed, studied Chance for a moment, and then revealed:

“My father had Mob ties that got him and my brother killed in Ireland…I’m pretty sure they got my Aunt last year and now…”

“Why not go to the police? Or the Feeds?”

“I’m all my sister has and She’s all I have…We’ve been ducking and dodging for most of our lives…I couldn’t-wouldn’t- risk it.”

“Why are they after you two though?” Chance inquired as he tossed the file onto the desk, “I mean…you were kids then, right?”

“Meggie wasn’t born yet,” Max repeated, “But Me…I…still remember the faces of the men who killed my Dad and brother. You, uh, y-you don’t forget stuff like that.”

“Oh,” Chance mused, “Your Dad had some major ties then?”

Max sniffed, shifted in her chair, and muttered after a moment of thought:

“He was an errand boy…I think. My Aunt wasn’t very fourth coming with the whole truth. For understandable reasons.”

Chance studied the young woman for a time and, when at last her impatience got the better of her, Max demanded:

“What? I’m not lying, I’m telling you everything!”

“Sooo…what? Why hack into our system? Are you planning some kind of…counter attack?” Chance asked, and he wasn’t surprised that Gillespie showed little reaction to his revelation.

“No idea,” McKenna confessed with a shrug, “No one else will help us…I can’t trust many people…at best I just hoped to find out something that would give us the edge. Obviously I failed in trying to even do that!”

“Don’t be so sure,” Chance said as he rose and just when Guerrero reentered the room, “Not now any ways.”


	4. Goodbye and Hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max says goodbye to Meggie and takes a ride with Guerrero

“Dude, seriously, she’s a punk!”

“A punk whom hacked our system, knows a crap load of languages, and in all honesty needs our protection. Not only that…you gotta admit it was kinda cool how she got the drop on you.”

Guerrero looked about the room, from face to face, and then sighed in utter defeat.

“She has no fighting skills!” he, however continued to argue, “She’s gonna be a big risk if she’s sent on missions!”

“Well,” Winston pointed out from where he sat, “She can learn. She’s got some fight in her after all…C’mon Guerrero she spit on you and kicked you!”

“She got lucky!” Guerrero quipped after biting into his apple, “Won’t happen again.”

“No it won’t,” Said the beautiful woman seated at the head of the table, “Because I agree with Chance and Winston…if she accepts our offer I think she’d be quite an asset.”

“Unbelievable!” Guerrero scoffed, “It’s enough you have me baby sitting Ames but now I got a whole other problem to deal with?”

“Hey!” Ames, the youngest of the group snapped from where she sat, “No one baby sits me!”

“We’ve all the people we need!” Guerrero continued, “We don’t need her!”

“It’d be nice to have another set of ovaries in here,” Ames argued, silently enjoying how Winston squirmed at her choice of words, “I say we let her in.”

“Four against one Guerrero,” Their employer, a foreign woman by the name of Ilse Pucci, pointed out.

“I think I will set up the interview for Friday.”

“Crap!” Guerrero sighed and left the meeting room without another word.  
**********************************************************************************************************************************  
“Meggie…I really wish you’d re-consider.”

“I’m old enough to handle myself Sis! I love it here and besides San Francisco is only a three hour drive!”

Max sighed, just when a loud knock reverberated through Her and her sibling’s apartment and she hesitated to answer it.

“Go on!” Meggie insisted, “It’s probably that ride you said was coming to get you. I can’t believe you’re giving me your car!”

Max, inwardly screaming, did as Meggie suggested and went to let in the last person she’d wanted to see ever since accepting the position Miss Pucci had offered her a week ago.

 

Judging by his smirk Guerrero wasn’t happy to see Max either yet he still took the invitation to enter their modest home.

“Hello,” Meggie offered as she hurried over and offered her hand to the man, “Would you like some coffee? It’s a few hours old but it’s good.”

“Oh, no thanks sweetie,” Guerrero answered, hoping his affectionate word would unnerve Max whom stood behind him, “We can’t wait long…Big Sister has some orientation she needs to get…to. Is that the Dog?”

The little black puppy happily bounded over to Guerrero and jumped on his leg, hoping to be picked up and coddled.

“What do you mean~” Meggie had started to ask, but Max quickly offered:

“The dog that I told you some doucher abandoned at the salon and the one I decided to leave here for Meggie? Yeah that’s him alright.”

Guerrero chuckled and ran his thumb and index finger over his moustache.

“Doucher?” He repeated, “Sounds like you don’t have a high opinion of him.”

“Sis said he just never came and got the dog after He dropped him off,” Meggie explained, “You’d have to be a heartless person to do something so cruel.”

“Well listen Meggie, I gotta get going,” Max offered as she quickly hugged her sister, “I promise I’ll call every Sunday.”

Guerrero looked about as the siblings embraced, seemingly uncomfortable at the open show of affection, and cleared his throat after a moment.

“Bye,” Meggie offered after escorting Max and Guerrero to the front door, “Be careful!”

“You too!” Max said over her shoulder, and she waited until Meggie closed the door to continue walking down the corridor behind Guerrero.

“Doucher, huh?” Guerrero asked as the two of them exited the apartment complex, “Seriously?”

“You’re the one who left the dog,” Gillespie pointed out as they climbed into The 'Eldo.’

“Tell you what,” Guerrero offered as he brought the engine to life, “Don’t talk to me this entire trip and maybe…I’ll consider not paying you back for spitting on me.”

“Whatever,” Max answered, “I’ve nothing to say to you anyway!”


	5. Settling In.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before settling in at the office, Max and Guerrero strike a deal, sort of.

She had to admit, only to her self and no one else, that Guerrero was a fascinating man.

How could someone of such small stature, invite such a sense terror, just at the simple mention of his own name?

They weren’t far from head quarters and honestly she was becoming rather bored with all the silence.

As if He’d read her mind Guerrero suddenly inquired:

“You staying any where?”

Max shrugged and continued to avoid his gaze by peering out of the passenger side window; “Hotel for now,” She explained, “I’ll move into a new apartment in two weeks.”

“What about furniture?” Guerrero asked curiously, “Are you gonna sleep on the floor or what?”

“Nope,” Max answered, “I’ll take care of that a day or two before moving in.”

“How come you don’t try to lie to me?”

The question made Max chuckle and she finally looked over at Guerrero as he guided the Cadillac down a busy San Francisco street.

“What good would it do me?” She asked, “I’ve heard about you after all!”

“True,” Guerrero admitted taking his eyes from Max back to the road, “’s just that you’re the first person to not even to try to lie to me. Does that have to do with that whole…body language thing?”

“Nah,” Max confessed, “I just…relied on the old adage that _‘honesty is the best policy'_. I thought that by being honest..it would buy me a-um-a-an easier death.”

“Not really,” Guerrero confessed, “You would’ve gone out the way I decided…oh! Speaking of honesty,” Guerrero explained, “The next time you bring up my kid I’m gonna have to hurt you. Seriously, I mean it, I’ll bust your knee caps.”

“Don’t bring up my sister and I won’t have to hurt you! Oh, and that was clever of you, trying to annoy me by calling Meggie ‘sweetie,’” Max sneered, enjoying the faint show of frustration that fluttered across Guerrero’s face.

“Besides I wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn’t provoked me.”

“So let’s not provoke each other then,” Guerrero offered, “deal?”

“Whatever,” Max sighed as she noticed they were approaching San Francisco, “thanks for the ride by the way.”

“Whatever,” Guerrero scoffed, “Don’t get use to it.”  
**************************************************************************************************************************  
Upon arrival she sat through hours of mind numbing orientation, was given a desk, and handed a file of the usual boring new hire information.

“Welcome to the Family,” Chance, the co-owner of the organization offered, patting Gillespie’s shoulder.

“Yeah thanks,” Max said, as she pilfered through the file, but not before jerking her shoulder away from the towering man.

“So…basically I’m just the translator?” Gillespie asked as She tossed the file onto her assigned desk as she took a seat in her chair, “What needs to be translated?”

“Whatever we find that needs to be translated,” Chance explained with a small smile, “That and we might need your help when it comes to reading body language.

Guerrero’s…style rarely fails but sometimes I think it would be easier to not nearly kill anyone. Plus we’ll look a bit more humane with you on our team.”

“Don’t you dare lower my pay Dude!” Guerrero shouted from where he sat, and “’sides she may not be able to stomach what we do!”

Gillespie snorted and then asked:

“Seems a bit much,” She confessed, “I mean I could do what you want from home for the most part.”

“True but there’s some aspects that you’ll have to be trained for,” Chance explained, “Combat, computer skills, stuff like that.”

“Combat?” Gillespie snorted, “What all do you expect me to do besides translate and-and sit in on interrogations and-unfortunately-torture sessions.”

“That remains to be seen,” Chance confessed, “For now all you need to know is that a week from now you’ll be taking classes in self-defense and fire arm safety but today I need you to listen to these and write down every single word. I don’t know Russian so I’ll need your full cooperation.”

Setting a stack of Compact Discs down in front of her, Chase said nothing more and strolled away, leaving Max to eye the discs in despair.

“You ever even fire a gun in your life?”

Max rolled her eyes before bringing them to meet Guerrero’s gaze.

“Never needed to,” She confessed, “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got work to do.”


	6. The End of the Work Day.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guerrero surprises Max at the end of her first day.
> 
> *Filler Chapter*

Eight, grueling hours later, Max was near tears when she was at last able to print out the transcript She’d compiled from listing to the four CD’s Chance had left her.

Doing as was told, placing the enveloped transcript on his desk, Max sighed and decided to call it a night.

After shutting off her computer and desk lamp, She grabbed her backpack from where it hung, and she turned to go.

“Oh shit!” She barked suddenly, “Where the hell did you come from!”

Guerrero, a carton of Chinese food in one hand, and chopsticks in the other, at first snickered before swallowing a mouthful of food and advising:

“Not that I’m personally bothered by your filthy mouth or anything, but you might want to clean it up, Pucci isn’t keen on vulgarity.”

“I’ll work on it,” Gillespie muttered as she pushed past Guerrero, “See you tomorrow I guess.”

“Need a ride? You’re hotel is like eight blocks from here.”

Max scoffed, stopped in her steps, and after taking a moment to think, she turned back toward Guerrero and said:

“You’re even asked to spy on other employees?”

Guerrero, picking at the carton insides, said nothing for a minute, but after finishing another mouthful of Chinese food He stated flatly:

“Nope, something I do on my off time. Need a ride or not?”

“No, I’ve got cab fare. Feel free to follow me in the Geraldo though.”

” _Eldo_ ,” Guerrero corrected with a sniff, “You going straight there? Your room I mean?”

“Bar first,” Gillespie confessed, “Could use a bottle of Moscato right now to be honest. It’s on the third floor if you’re curious.”

“You’re gonna be sick if you over do it!” Guerrero chuckled, “You should be a bit more considerate…this isn’t a job you wanna mess up!”

“’S close to nine now,” Max sighed, “Three glasses and I’m out like a light at 11:00…My-eh-shift isn’t until 9 a.m. any way. But I really don’t see why I’ve gotta explain it to you.”

“Smart ass!” Guerrero called after Gillespie through a mouthful of food.

“Lunatic!” Max spat back just as she disappeared around the corner.


	7. Off to Japan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Her day off ruined, Max is swept back to work, and stunned when she is assigned her first mission.

_**EIGHT MONTH’S LATER:** _

“So how’s it all going? The job and everything.”

“‘S fine Meggie, boring, but fine.”

“You don’t sound like you’re having too good of a time.”

Max chuckled, and continued folding her newly washed clothes as Her flat screen television played on in the background.

“Just stressed,” Gillespie revealed, “It’s a demanding job.”

“So do you see that guy that came and got you…like, around the office, a lot?”

Max rolled her eyes as she rifled through her laundry basked and confessed:

“He’s there every freaking day that I am.”

Meggie chuckled and after they talked for a few minutes She giggled and commented:

“You know…he was kinda a cute.”

“Who?” Max asked, and her stomach tightened, “Oh dear lord Meggie you aint serious!”

“He had nice hair!” Meggie argued.

“He’s old enough to be our dad!” Max countered, “and, trust me, he is a major douche!”

“Still cute though!”

“Oh whatever,” Max groaned, “Look, are you still coming up this weekend?”

Before Meggie could answer her sister, Max’s cell phone notification ringer sounded and she sighed heavily.

It was a text from work.

 

“I gotta go,” Max told Meggie, “Sorry but it’s work.”

Meggie chuckled over the line and said:

“Sometimes I still wish you were a dog bather!”

“Mmmeee ttooo!” Max confessed before saying good bye and hanging up the landline.

She decided to finish folding the rest of her laundry, certain that it was no emergency, but soon Max was greeted again.

This time it was an actual call coming through on the company owned cell phone.

Groaning, Max threw a shirt into the laundry basket, and with a huff hurried over to where the cell phone lay.

“Hello?” Max sighed into the phone; “This is Gillespie.”

“You really should answer your phone the first time you get an alert, Dude.”

“Guerrero,” Max sighed, “It’s my day off and I’ve got stuff to do.”

“You _were_ going to be off today and your _were_ going to do stuff,” Guerrero corrected, “You’ll have to finish your laundry another time. We’ve a meeting to get to.”

“Jeez,” Max sighed, “Look I’ll take a cab to there and-wait-how’d you know what I was doing?”

“Because I can see you,” Guerrero answered flatly, “I’m parked outside.”

“You’re a really creepy man Guerrero,” Max declared as she shook her head, “Alright…I’ll be down in five minutes.”

“Make it one,” Guerrero ordered calmly before hanging up.

“God I hate him!” Max growled as she gathered up her jacket and backpack, “I’m so glad I only have to see him at the office.”  
****************************************************************************************************************  
“Japan? You mean…th-the country Japan.”

“Yes, or is the information I have wrong? I was told that you speak Japanese fluently.”

Gillespie sighed and looked from Chance to Pucci before shaking her head in disbelief.

“So you’re saying no to the mission?” Chance asked, his tone one of disappointment, “You won’t be in the line of danger or anything.”

At that point she looked at Guerrero, whom was munching on an apple in the corner of Pucci’s office, and she muttered mostly to herself:

“I’m not too sure about that!”

“Please,” Guerrero griped, “If I wanted you dead you would be dead. It’s a simple in and out thing and I’ll be doing most of the dirty work.”

“Dirty work?” Max asked Chance, “Is this like a…like hit job or something?”

“Hopefully not,” Chance answered before Pucci, “Here, this file has the information you need. You know, what the assignment is, what your part in it is, and all that jazz. You and Guerrero will be flying to Japan tomorrow, that is, if you accept.”

“Fine,” Gillespie sighed, “No problem I guess.”

“I guess Meggie won’t be coming this weekend, right…Maxima?”

Gillespie spun in her chair and eyed Guerrero with such ferocity that it caused Chance and Pucci to tense up as they watched the situation unfold.

“You…You’ve been listening to my calls?” She gaped, “What the fuck, man! Is that the way things work around here!?!”

“Oh man, Guerrero,” Chance moaned, “I told you to stop doing that after Ames caught on to it!”

“Hey this is a high risk business,” Guerrero shrugged, “You’ll be happy to know she’s keeping quiet about what we really do…and Her legal name was just too funny not to mention.”

“You bugged my fucking phone!” Gillespie exclaimed again through gritted teeth just as Winston entered the office, “What? You got a camera installed in _MY_ home as well?”

“He buggin’ phones again,” Winston asked Chance, “Thought you got him to stop that.”

“Please,” Pucci stressed, “Guerrero will of course remove any listening devices from your home Max. In order for this business to work, there must of course, be a certain level of trust between co-workers. Right, Guerrero?”

“Yeah, cool, She’s boring any way,” Guerrero replied through a mouthful of apple, “but just so you all know…I did it for the team dude.”

“Hey I’m a member of this team too asshole!” Max snapped, “and you bet your ass that yer gonna go into my place and remove whatever high-priced, piece of crap listening device you planted in my phone! And anything else too, you hear me?”

“Ah blow me bitch!” Guerrero snapped as he exited the office, ignoring the calls of his colleagues.

“You wish!” Gillespie spat as she jumped from her chair and hurried after the feared hit man.

“Maybe Guerrero should go on this mission by himself,” Pucci sighed, “For I fear He’ll come back from it by him self if we send Gillespie.”

“Agreed,” Chance responded, “Maybe we can have them communicate by computer and~”

“Nah man,” Winston giggled, “They’ll be fine!”

When he was accosted with disbelieving gazes, Winston chuckled, and offered only a small smirk.


	8. Taking Off & Touching Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guerrero and Max depart for Japan.

“So…um…I’m going in as a socialite?”

“Yeah, and I’m the body guard, just play your role.”

“I hate dresses.”

“Learn to love them.”

Max rolled her eyes, questioning her self for even starting a conversation with Guerrero, and tucked the file into her travel bag before storing it above their heads.

“How long is this flight?” She asked, mentally kicking her self for once again speaking to her unwanted travel companion, “Fourteen hours, right?”

“And I’d rather not spend it talking the entire time,” Guerrero answered as he waved down a flight attendant.

“Sorry,” Gillespie said, just as the flight attendant came over to hear Guerrero’s request for a pillow.

“Would your girlfriend like one as well?”

“What? Oh ew!” Gillespie snorted, “I’m not his girlfriend-no way! -But I don’t need a pillow thanks.”

“Rude much?” Guerrero asked as the flight attendant wandered off, “You didn’t have to embarrass the poor lady.”

“I’ll apologize when she comes back,” Max promised as she reached into her pocket and retrieved a packet of sleep aides.

“You’ll be messed up if you take those,” Guerrero pointed out as Max struggled to open the packet, “and you snore so I’d appreciate it if~”

“I hate flying,” Max explained as Guerrero took the packet from her and opened it with ease, “Never have liked it so I’d rather just sleep through as much of it as I can. You’ll just have to deal with the snoring.”

“Here,” Guerrero said as he handed her the pills, “You’re lucky we’re on a plane full of people otherwise I’d~”

“Blah, blah, blah!” Max blurted out, “Just ask for some headphones or something. I’m taking a nap!”  
***************************************************************************************************  
She awoke when Guerrero pinched her nose shut, causing her to wake with a coughing fit, and after she’d finished she glared angrily at him.

“We’re about to touch down,” He explained as he tapped away on his lap top, “Get your stuff out from the compartment.”

“Good morning to you too,” Max sighed, doing as she was told and removing her duffel bag from where she’d stored it before.

“After we get settled in at the hotel we’ll meet with the client,” Guerrero explained softly, “Find out what we need to and go from there.”

“Okay,” Max sighed as she unzipped her bag and retrieved her sunglasses, “Sounds alright I guess.”

As the plane descended onto a large run way, Guerrero closed his laptop and put it in its case, then turned toward Gillespie with a serious and dark expression.

“Do everything I say and you might come out of this alive, got it?”

“Sure,” Gillespie replied as she put her sunglasses on, and Guerrero then pinched her chin with his thumb and forefinger and forced her to look at him, “I’m serious,” He said, “Don’t fuck around while we’re here.”

“Don’t touch me please,” Max mumbled as she pulled free, “and I’m not going to fuck around.”


	9. Motels and Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is dismayed to learn about her sleeping arrangement but Guerrero dismisses her and keeps to the business at hand.

“This is…just really creepy!”

“It’s best we stay together, and what are you bitching about? There are two beds!”

“You’re still a guy!” Max quipped as she tossed her small suitcase and duffel bag onto her chosen bed; “I’m under enough stress as it is!”

“I’m not going to be sleeping much as it is,” Guerrero explained as he placed his own suitcase on the other bed and unzipped it, “You snore, remember? And we don’t have much time to get this mission over and done with.”

Max bit her lip, swallowed her insult, and sat upon the bed as she watched the older individual rifle through his suitcase for something.

Recalling Ames’ advise, Max couldn’t help but laugh under her breath, and she shook her head in amusement.

 _“Just stay out of his way,”_ Ames had told her, _“Do your part, but stay out of his way, He’s really not that bad if…if you give him space.”_

“You ready?” Guerrero asked as, to her horror, he turned around as he loaded a clip into a gun, “We gotta meet the client.”

“Wh-what…how’d you get that past airport security?” Max gaped, “You coulda blown the whole mission if you’d been caught.”

“Please,” Guerrero snorted as he holstered the weapon; “I’m never caught! Let’s go!”  
************************************************************************************  
Guerrero was shocked, truly shocked, when Max adopted quite different personality when they were at last invited into the office of a well-to-do business man.

Tossing out her usual crude and blunt way of speaking, She became demure and pleasant, saying little and only observing the conversation so that she could translate for him.

“Hmph!” Max laughed, covering her mouth like a shy schoolgirl, “Yakuza…why am I not surprised?”

“What?” Guerrero inquired, and after a moment more of watching Gillespie converse with the gentleman, she looked at him and explained:

“The Yakuza are trying to extort him. He’s refused and so they’ve started to harass and threaten not only him but his family.”

“Ah,” Guerrero sighed, “So we’re here to scare them off?”

“Pretty much,” Max answered softly, “But he’s too afraid to give out the names…which-I’m guessing-is why I’ve got to fit my self into that prom dress back at the hotel. There’s a banquet two days from now and He thinks that’s when they’ll follow through on their threat towards just him self.”

“Makes sense. It’ll send a message to anyone else who would refuse to pay up,” Guerrero pointed out, “At least we’ve got time to try and find the people so we know whom to look for at that thing!”

“Don’t be so sure,” Max revealed after engaging in more conversation with the gentlemen, “This guy is freaked…not sure if we’ve been found out yet or not.”

“Has he told anyone else?” Guerrero asked as He yawned, “About us I mean?”

Max engaged in another brief conversation and then looked at Guerrero with a shake of her head.

“He just says the Yakuza aren’t easily fooled.”

“Maybe they aren’t,” Guerrero replied as he rose, “But then again they don’t know who they’re messing with.”

Guerrero bowed, uttered weak goodbye in Japanese toward the elderly gentleman, and then ordered Gillespie to follow after him after she’d offered her own goodbye.

“I want you back at the hotel,” Guerrero explained as He and Max navigated their way down a congested city sidewalk, “Contact the office and let them know what we’ve found out, got it?”

“Yeah,” Max answered quickly, barely avoiding another pedestrian, “Where are you off to?”

“None of your business,” Guerrero quipped, “Just do what you’re told.”


	10. Sushi and Shootings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Guerrero continues to bewilder Max...she's pulled deeper into the darker aspects of the Foundations work when She and her Partner are the object of unwanted attention.

“Hey Max! Glad to see you’re still alive!”

“Ha, Ha!” Gillespie sarcastically replied to Ames through the lap tops computer screen, “We’re stuck here for another couple of days so wait and see.”

“Where is he now?” Ames asked, and She nodded in comprehension when Gillespie shrugged.

“He does that a lot,” Ames sighed, “I’ve worked with him quite a lot and I’ve never really been able to figure him out.”

“I’m just trying to survive him,” Gillespie confessed, then she conveyed all that had occurred that afternoon while Ames listened intently.

“You ready to go in?” Ames asked after Gillespie finished her reports, “Not scared are you?”

“Not really,” Gillespie explained as she sat up, cross-legged, on her bed.

“I’m not looking forward to parading around in that horrible dress Pucci picked for me but, other than that, I don’t see a reason to be afraid cause it won’t do me any good.”

“Well as long as Guerrero’s around I don’t think any thing bad will happen to you,” Ames suggested, “Well, honestly, nothing bad should happen if you don’t step on his toes. I don’t think you will though, not since he suggested you when the mission was first brought up to him.”

Gillespie snorted but before she could reply the door to their hotel room opened and Guerrero glided through so quietly that it caused her to double-glance him.

Something was wrong.

“Eh…w-well I’d better let you go Ames,” Gillespie explained, “Just give Chance the transcript I’ve sent via the e-mail address…we’ll be in contact soon I guess.”

“Okay, see ya later!” Ames offered just before Gillespie closed the laptop and severed their connection.

Guerrero had wandered into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and was doing God knows what but Max wasn’t about to call out to him.

Not yet, because judging by his entrance, quiet as it had been, she could easily tell he was tense, burdened by something.

“You talking to Ames?” Guerrero asked as he at last exited the bathroom, wiping his face with a towel.

“I was,” Max confirmed softly as continued to observe the gentleman, “I just gave her our report and all. Like you asked.”

Guerrero removed his glasses, breathed on them, and used his shirt to wipe the lenses clean.

In the brief moment that He’d looked at her she’d spotted the redness, seen how the flesh under his eyes appeared swollen.

Had He, Guerrero of all people, been crying just before coming back?

“Stop doing that.”

Max startled when He’d spoken.

His order had been given calmly, softly. But she could easily hear the venom in his tone.

“Stop what?” Max asked, and she almost flinched in fear when she saw the gleam in Guerrero’s eyes.

“Don’t start lying now,” He warned, “Just don’t do that…that body language crap on me.”

 

“Uh…s-sorry,” She offered, “Hard habit to break given that I’ve been doing it for so long.”

Guerrero smirked, replaced his glasses, and then asked:

“Are you hungry?”

 _‘Creepy!’_ Max inwardly screamed as she gulped loudly, _‘Dear lord is he ever creepy!’_

“A little,” Max confessed, “Are you?”

“Wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t,” Guerrero muttered, “I know a little restaurant a few blocks away. Get your shoes on and we’ll go.”  
**********************************************************************************************************  
“You act like you’ve been here a dozen times…but, let me get this right, you don’t know how to use chop sticks?”

Max chuckled, picked up another roll of Sushi with her fingers, and enjoyed it without answering Guerrero whom seemed greatly amused at the new revelation.

“I know a lot about the culture,” She explained, “the important stuff any how. I guess I just don’t have the patience for learning how to use sticks to eat.”

Guerrero smirked, used his chopsticks with ease, and after finishing a mouthful of his own food asked:

“What did you think of the guy? The man we’re here to help I mean.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Max answered, “He’s scared and tense but…other than that I get the sense he’s just another hard working family man that’s being hassled by a bunch of greedy…assholes…”

Her eyes studied the two men that sat behind them at another table, and instantly she looked at Guerrero with a panicked expression.

“What?” Guerrero asked as he picked up his drink, “Who are they?”

 _‘Yakuza,’_ Max mouthed, and when Guerrero arched his eyebrow, she cleared her throat and whispered:

“Wanna explain their missing pinky fingers?”

Guerrero sipped his drink for a moment or so, allowing just enough panic to settle in Max’s gut, and then he sat his glass down.

“Whatever you do,” He warned as he waved down their waitress, “ _Stay-beside-me_!”

“Yeah sure,” Max gulped just before requesting that a waitress bring them their tab, though her eyes darted wildly to the waitress and then to the two men seated behind them.

“Stop staring,” Guerrero hissed as he put on his over shirt, “Get your coat on!”

“What do we do?” Max asked, feeling the full weight of the two men’s threatening stares, “Where are we going to do? Don’t you think it’s safer to stay in public?”

“You’re going to listen to me,” Guerrero explained as he pulled out his wallet, “We’re going to get up-calmly-and we’re heading back to the hotel, got it?”

Though every inch of her wanted to protest, Max could only sigh as she slipped into her coat, and she nodded very slowly.


	11. Whining and Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guerrero and Gillespie Narrowly avoid a pre-emptive strike...which lead to into a heated confrontation of sorts.

“Get in!”

“You’re hurt!”

“Fuck it! Get in!”

Allowing Guerrero to shove her violently into the room, Max stumbled to her bed and sat down; putting her head in her hands as she tried to get her body to stop trembling.

They’d been shot at! In Public!

They’d broken into a run only after they’d led the two henchmen far enough away from the restaurant.

When the shot had rang out, Max recalled, Guerrero had grunted and stumbled suddenly, and then she’d seen how his strawberry-blonde hair began to turn a darker shade of red.

Lifting her head, watching as He examined the gash on the side of his head, Max swallowed and asked:

“Will you need stitches?”

Guerrero moaned and studied himself in the mirror for a few minutes before turning and heading into the bathroom.

“No,” He called from the bathroom just as Max heard running water; “Bullet just grazed me.”

‘That’s a relief!’ Max thought to her self, confessing secretly that She would have been utterly lost as to what to do had her co-worker been fatally wounded.

“Did you hear me?” Guerrero asked gruffly, appearing from the bathroom with a towel pressed to his head.

Bringing her gaze up to his, Max shook her head briskly.

“No, sorry, what did you say?”

“I said get on the damn lap top and get in contact with-y’know what? -Never mind I’ll do it!”

“Hey,” Max laughed coldly, “I know you just literally dodged a bullet but don’t take your bad mood out on me!”

“If you were really invested in getting out of here alive you would have spotted those two jokers right when the entered the damn restaurant!” Guerrero spat as he took the towel away from his head and examining the bloodstain.

“How was I supposed to know that we were being followed?” Max demanded rising from her bed with her hands on her hips and scowling, “You’re supposed to be the more seasoned one of us!”

“You should always anticipate the worst!” Guerrero growled as He sat down and swept the laptop off of the nightstand, “If you’d done that we’d probably not be in the situation we’re in!”

Sending a coded message to his desired contact, after becoming tired of her incessant wheezing, Guerrero closed the laptop, and turned his head to chastise Gillespie once more.

“Wha…” His words stilled on his tongue as He watched her struggling to open her suitcase while, to his own concern, Her chest heaved up and down.

“You…You have asthma?” Guerrero exclaimed as he set the laptop aside and hurried over, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“’S not th-that bad,” Max gasped as Guerrero jerked her suitcase from her and unzipped it hurriedly, “Just…a-acts up wh-wh-whenever~”

“Sit down!” Guerrero barked as he finally found the inhaler, “Get yourself under control!”

He handed it to McKenna, watched her take a few puffs off of it, and when he was certain she was regaining her composure grumbled:

“Had a feeling you weren’t cut out for this!”

Realizing the blood from the gash on his head had dripped down onto his shirt, the top-level assassin sighed and headed into the bathroom once more.

As he busied himself in the bathroom, a quiet rage was boiling inside of Max, as she sat glaring at the open door and waiting for Guerrero to reappear.

What kind of selfish asshole was he any ways?

“We got any club soda in that mini fridge?” Guerrero asked as he came from the bathroom with his over shirt in his hands, “This is silk and I don’t want to have to throw it away.”

“Why don’t you check?” Max replied coldly as she scooted up toward the head of her bed, “I’m not your fucking slave you know!”

“Being an errand girl seems to be the only thing you’re good for!” Guerrero snapped as he headed over to the small fridge, “Besides I wouldn’t have gotten my head nearly blown off if you’d~”

“So who was she?”

Guerrero, his free hand holding the door open to the fridge, stiffened for a moment before he slowly looked over his shoulder at Max whom lay on the bed with her ankles crossed and her arms folded over her abdomen.

“…What?” Guerrero asked as he took his gaze from the young woman and retrieved the desired bottle from the fridge, “Who was who?”

“Look, since You’re so eager to blame me for what happened today…it’s only fair I tell you-even though I’m sure you already know-that you’re due your fair share of blame!”

Guerrero snorted, uncapped the bottle of club soda, and delicately poured a small amount of liquid onto his stained shirt.

“You were obviously…distracted,” Max went on, much to Guerrero’s chagrin, “Now I don’t care what it was or whom it was that got you so tangled up but don’t you dare stand there and piss and moan at me! You got yourself shot at!”

The look he cast her then, honestly, sent a chill up her spine yet Max refused to show any sign of discomfort and met his stony gaze with her own and equally strong glare.

“Dude,” Guerrero at last whispered, “You really think you can talk to me like that?”

For a long while there was a stiff silence, blue eyes challenging green eyes, and at last Max rose from the bed.

“I’m going out,” She announced, “Give you some time to cool off.”  
  
“Yeah,” Guerrero scoffed, “Just make it easier for them to put a bullet in your brain!”

“You’d be happy then!” Max barked as she opened and slammed their hotel door, hoping she left Guerrero as angry as he’d made her.

***************************************************************************************************************************

Fortunately the hotel bar had Her favorite wine and Max wasted no time in gulping down a glass of red _Moscato_ before ordering a second one.

She’d emptied half of that glass  just when he slid onto the barstool next to her, much to her annoyance, and Max sighed when she felt his glare burrowing into her.

Guerrero ordered a glass of whiskey and, after the bar tender delivered his drink, He took a slow sip before setting it down and sighing himself.

“I’m sorry,” Max offered as she twisted the stem of her wineglass between two fingers, “I shouldn’t have been so…so cold. Maybe you’re right, maybe, I’m not cut out for this!”

“Look,” Guerrero sniffed, “I’m not good at this hallmark crap so…let’s just wipe the slate clean, okay? You shouldn’t be in here by yourself and that’s why I came down. Not because I wanna make up or anything.”

It worked as an apology, or at least she let it work, and Max nodded before taking another sip from her glass.

“Chance should be here, sometime tomorrow morning, we’ll have to change the plan up a bit but the banquet stake-out is still a go.”

“But…they know who we are,” Max muttered, casting a bewildered gaze at Guerrero whom emptied his glass.

“They might,” Guerrero admitted with a shrug, “Or they might just know who I am…remember, they shot at me, not you.”


End file.
